A Brighter Future and the Arts

The world at present can sometimes make the scripture “men are that they might have joy” seem like a gray area because of the countless trials and empty pleasures we experience, but research has shown that through regular involvement in and development of artistic skills ranging from music to drawing or photography, both children and adults can experience more success and happiness in their lives. Participation in the arts plants three primary seeds that will lead to a brighter future.

Career success: At first glance, art and future employment seem to be two highly uncorrelated nouns, but research done by Americans for the Arts found that creativity is one of the top three personality traits sought after by U.S. employers, yet eighty-five percent of employers cannot find the creative types they seek. These findings are significant because everyone from PBS to the Washington Post agrees that art is extremely important in child development, especially in relation to creativity and innovational skills. The catch is that one of the other top three traits sought after by employers is expertise in the field or industry of application, so participating in the arts will help you develop essential creativity and innovation skills, but obtaining knowledge in another field is also of vital importance.

Overall well-being: Part of having joy in this life is finding things that bring us wholesome pleasure and take us out of our daily routine to a place of excitement or delight for even ever so small a moment. A survey done by Americans for the Arts showed that sixty-three percent of Americans experience pure pleasure when they are involved with art in a given day, and even more than that said the arts help to lift them up beyond everyday experiences. Very few people can deny the joy they get from creating or even just witnessing beautiful art. In fact, art is so beneficial to human well-being that it has been used to improve the medical condition of patients as far back as 1948. National Endowment for the Arts summarizes a few of the different studies done in relation to art and patient improvement. One such study found that premature infants in an intensive care unit were released an average of three days earlier than others when treated with sung and spoken lullabies.

Impact on others: Despite the fact that participating in the arts can be extremely beneficial to yourself, picking up an artistic skill such as music, painting or dance and using it to impact the lives of others is no doubt an even more rewarding benefit of participating in the arts. Art is a special form of communication that uses more of the human senses and reaches individuals on a deeper emotional level than mere speaking and listening. Almost any person can think of a time when art made their day better whether it be through listening to music, attending a galley or watching a dance competition, and if the opportunity existed, would each of those individuals not love to return the favor to someone else? Simply put, art is an opportunity to give back, impact lives and change the world.